“Right,” Lightning Dust said as Twilight and Thunderlane ate their breakfast. “This is the last chance I’ll have to give you any advice, so listen up.”
Twilight felt strange. On one hoof, she had spent a night cuddled up with Thunderlane, and her brother had driven himself to exhaustion just to so he could wish her luck in the arena. As Shining Amor had said, her memory of the dream hadn’t faded as she woke up. On the other hoof, she felt emotionally drained after watching him fade into the void. Add that to the fact that the pony she had spent the night cuddled up with would soon be joining her in the arena, and she just ended up with a painful mix of emotions that left her feeling dizzy.
“First and foremost,” Lightning Dust continued. “The Cornucopia will have supplies. Saddle packs full of equipment, food, and weapons. But, everypony will want these supplies, so chances are there will be a bloodbath in the first few moments. My advice is to stay alive, so run away as quick as you can, putting as much distance as you can between yourselves and everypony else. If you see something within reach, and you want to go for it, it’s your funeral. Oh, and don’t step off the pads until the countdown timer reaches zero. There are mines under each one, which will go off if you step off.”
Twilight looked at Thunderlane nervously, who returned her gaze with a supportive smile. It was nothing less than miraculous how much better she felt when he directed on of those smiles towards her.
“Secondly, count the cannons, and keep a count of them. They’ll fire one every time a tribute dies, so if you keep a count of the cannon fires, you’ll be keeping a count of how many tributes are dead. From that, you’ll easily be able to work out how many are still alive.”
“Finally, alliances. They won’t last forever, but they may be useful. If you ally with somepony from, say, District 11, their agricultural knowledge may prove useful in finding food. That’s a very specific example, but you get the point. If you do form alliances, try not to get too attached to the other ponies. There’s only one winner after all.”
“That’s about it really. Not much more I can say other than ‘don’t die’.”
All her advice now given, Lightning Dust had nothing more to say. Hoity Toity and Photo Finish had already left, they’d be waiting at the arena for emotional support before Twilight and Thunderlane would actually be sent in to fight. The three of them sat and ate in awkward silence, listening to the gentle ticking of the clock. It felt like forever, before Lighting Dust stood up, announcing that it was time to go.
She walked them to the elevator, hugging each one in turn.
“Thank you,” Twilight said as they hugged. “For everything.”
Lightning Dust smiled. “It was no problem. Just be strong out there. Both of you.”
“We will,” Thunderlane said confidently, as he stepped into the elevator with Twilight. They watched as Lightning Dust held back tears, and the glass doors slid closed, allowing the elevator to begin its descent.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The atmosphere in the hovercraft was thick enough to cut with a knife. All the tributes sat on opposite sides of a military style cargo hold, males on one side, females on the other, as a Peacekeeper went up to each of them, inserting some kind of needle in their flanks.
“Tracking devices,” the Peacekeeper explained. “Tell us your location, and shows us your vital signs, like pulse, breathing rate, etc. When your heart stops beating, the signal shutoff activates the cannon. Basic stuff.”
Twilight almost laughed. The Peacekeeper was talking about their deaths just as part of a system. Just a simple topple of a domino that knocked over the one next to it, all very routine.
“So, what happens if lots of us die at once?” Pinkie Pie asked with a sadistic tone to her voice.
“If the signal becomes spammed, it will cause a five minute delay. Five minutes after the last signal shutoff, the cannon will fire once for each time a signal became shut off.”
This seemed to satisfy Pinkie, who was beginning to twitch maniacally. She was clearly anticipating the hunt that awaited her.
Some of the other ponies were less excited. Fluttershy had been shivering violently, so much so that Applejack had resorted to holding her hoof to calm her down. While it eased her shivering, her terrified cries were now the only noise in the small hold.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Twilight breathed in deeply and slowly. The room with her designated entry tube was surprisingly comfortable, with marble tiled flooring, a small fridge for refreshments, and a comfortable sofa. Twilight wasn’t allowed to take any food or drink into the arena with her, so she sat on the sofa, hoof in hoof with Hoity Toity, as she gently sipped a bottle of water. She contemplated talking to him to pass the time, but she really didn’t feel up to it. After what felt like an eternity, a voice came over the PA system.
“Sixty seconds.”
Twilight began to shake, as Hoity Toity helped her up, before hugging her tightly.
“Good luck,” he said, before giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek.
She nodded appreciatively, her mouth now beginning to go dry in a state of panic. Her legs felt numb and she was sweating rapidly as she walked towards the glass tube in the corner of the room.
“Ten seconds.”
Twilight stepped into the tube, and Hoity Toity gave some final words of wisdom as the glass sealed her in: “Don’t let them underestimate y-”
The glass was sound proof, and the last word was cut off abruptly as the tube sealed itself. She put her hoof against the glass, hoping for Hoity Toity to do the same, but before he got the chance, the tube began to rise, and soon the room on the other side of the glass was replaced by gravel. Then blinding sunlight, and Twilight was in the middle of a clearing.
The arena was colossal. A perfect semi-circle, at least 10 miles across, had been cut into a coastal cliff, with a forest growing at the top. The cliffs surrounding them were impossibly smooth, and became steeper as they rose, going beyond vertical at the top. There was no way to scale them. Where the semi-circular cliffs ended, the land became sea. The base of the semi-circle was also a forest, with terrain gradually sloping downwards as it became closer to the sea. Towards the back of the semi-circle was what appeared to be a ruined town, as crumbling stone towers rose out of the tree line, building after building for a mile across. On the cliffs in the distance behind the city sat a mighty waterfall, which landed in a beautiful river that snaked its way through the city, and then back into the forest as the water made its way back to the sea. The terrain, though gradual in its descent, dropped at least two hundred feet, if not more on its way from the cornucopia to the sea, and rose even more towards the city and the cliffs behind.
Twilight was so intrigued by her surroundings, she had lost all focus, turning back to face the cornucopia to see the countdown timer reach ten. Ten! She had to think fast. There was a saddle bag right in front of her, only a few paces forward. The pads were spaced out in a circle surrounding the cornucopia, and they were at least twenty feet apart. She had plenty of time to grab it.
She exhaled deeply as the countdown hit one, and took her chance as soon as it read zero. She jumped forwards, pushing her nose under the saddle bag, then using the upward motion of her whole head to throw it up in the air enough for her to step forward, letting it land on her back. Pleased with her swift movement, she turned around and ran as fast as she could, heading into the trees and towards the sea, leaving behind her a brutal bloodbath.
As soon as the timer had reached zero, Blueblood had run to the side, heading for the next tribute over. He tackled Gizmo violently, wrapping his foreleg around the skinny pony’s neck and snapping it in one swift movement. One pony was already down in the first few seconds. Rainbow Dash had a clear shot into the mouth of the Cornucopia, which she took to her advantage, grabbing a bow and arrow, notching an arrow quickly and aiming it towards Lyra, who was fiddling with the straps of her saddle bag. The arrow flew swiftly and silently, striking Lyra right in her left eye, and the unicorn went out like a light.
Nighteye was cool and calm about how he went, eyeing up Featherweight tripping over Gizmo’s body. Blueblood had joined Rainbow Dash at the Cornucopia, so he wouldn’t be of use here. Nighteye charged over, picking up the small pegasus by the neck. Applejack looked over to see this, and hoping to do something honorable and good in the games, began to charge over to try and help the young pegasus. Rarity looked up from driving a javelin into Berry Punch’s throat just in time to see this, before pulling out the javelin and throwing it with all her might. The javelin struck Applejack in the head, knocking her limp body sideways as her blood splattered Nighteye and the still struggling Featherweight.
The small pegasus screamed as Nighteye looked at him with a blood-stained grin, before reaching his other hoof around the back of his head, and promptly snapping his neck. Nighteye chuckled as the small body fell to the ground, before he joined the other ponies at the cornucopia. Almost nopony had tried to get any equipment, leaving Rarity, Blueblood, Rainbow Dash, Nighteye, Pyro, Pinkie Pie and Fire Work to most of the food and weapons. They all looked at each other with wide grins, and began to go through the equipment.
“Well, well,” Pyro said as she wandered to the back of the Cornucopia, finding a terrified Caramel desperately trying in vain to find a weapon in the darkness. “Look what we have here. Somepony’s trying to steal our equipment.”
Rarity had found a torch, which she shone backwards. “Well now, what are we going to do with you?”
Caramel grew more and more panicked as the various clique ponies gathered around him. He had no weapons, and no way out, and his confidence was rapidly diminishing.
Pinkie Pie stepped forward. “I think I have an idea,” she said grinning like a maniac, revealing a bottle of napalm and a box of matches.
Pyro chuckled gently. “Pinkie Pie, I think you just read my mind.”
HOLY SHIT THE ARENA <3 I'ma read, dis gun b gud.
Edit: ...I..I...Applejack Eh, Applejack wasn't my favorite anyways. She was 3rd best mane 6 pony. Either way, it's pretty disappointing. I would've thought that she's last longer than Rarity, at least. And then there is Lyra(I'm slowly sobbing to myself), Gizmo(Ha! Nerd! Not surprised he went first. I mean, Featherweight lasted longer than him!), Featherweight(Poor kid.) and Berry Punch(Eh, dunno how to feel. We didn't hear much of her before hoof anyways). Did I miss anypony?
And then there is Caramel. Heh heh, with Fire Work being a pyrotechnican he's going to have fun with this. I reluctantly expect Fluttershy to be the next to go, or maybe...well...I don't know what to expect.
8_bit, if you are accepting help or ideas with this, I have PLENTY. (Non-biased ones that don't surround my OC...not THAT self-centered) Please PM me if you want to hear some
Well, that ends my rambling! Wonderfully done chapter! Great way to start off the games! I await eagerly for the next chapter!
OH F[BUY SOME APPLES] PINKIE PIE STOP IT.
So, if we count Caramel, that's six tributes down? Applejack goddammit you were supposed to help Twilight find food! lol, well, there's always the other tribute from 11... totally forget who that is.
2000 words is good goal (that's usually what I aim for), granted you update so frequently I don't think anyone will really care if it's less than that. AND YOU'D BETTER UPDATE SOON CAUSE I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! I mean, if that's okay with you.
2244170 Totally forgot about Pinkie. You know, I almost expect her to turn on the rest of the Careers, you know, because she goes batshit
crazyPinkamena.Also, the stallion from 11 is some pony named Apple Cloud. I have no idea who that is. Don't think we've seen much of him, to be honest...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Applejack's DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111
she was my favourite pony!!!
oh well at least i'm alive
is pinkie pie pinkamena in this story??
Meh... I'm glad that background pony's dead. I think her name was Applesauce or something like that.
Yay! Blue's not dead! I'm hoping for an epic battle scene between Blue and Fire
2244208 lol, that's my friend's OC.
2244612 ....what? What did you just say...?
You're on my list.
Pinkie and Pyro...
*The world simultaneously catches fire and explodes into confetti*
2245138 Don't forget Fire Work~
I see many more fires in this stories future...
2245182
I would laugh so hard if the forest fire scene will be inflicted by our OCs.
2245221 heeheeheeeee
LLLLYYYYYRRRRRAAAAA!!! I wander were scootaloo went? I hope she survives at least a day.
2246019 Heh. The way you said that reminded me of this.
2244931 Woot! I'm number one!
*cue spongebob scene*
This story is awesome.
Also, here's my OC if you need him at all:
Forest Green Fur
Hooves like Shining Armor's and Big Macs (the fur revealing the hoof) colored Charcoal Gray
A mane (including tail) in the style of RD's, with slightly different shades of orange-brownish
Tall, like Shining Armor, but as thin as a regular pony
Magenta eyes
Hope you have a chance to use him!
2247227 ಠ_ಠ
Also, I apologize on spamming the comments section, but lemme be the first to say that the new cover art is completely badass.
Oh god. I think I know what's gonna happen with me and Fire Work The humanity!
Spoiler Alert:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
R.I.P
ponys dead (so far)
Applejack did not that coming
Featherweight meh
Berrypunch]
Gizmo, Is that on oc, if so sorry to whoever oc that was
LYRA NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!, bon bon going to be sad
WOW ! I didn't expected that a mane 6 die directly, especially the strong AJ.
Well, i hope a big Thunderlane fight and, because i just can't win, a beautifull sacrifice for the Twilight victory.